Machine for winding wire fabric



April 1955 J. A. WAKEFlELD MACHINE FOR WINDING WIRE FABRIC 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3, 1951 -HHHM H H .W. MHQ r Y (2 W MW M /N VE N TOR Jo SEPHW ANTHONY WAKEFIELD ATTORNE Apnl 5, 1955 J. A. WAKEFIELD MACHINE FOR WINDING WIRE FABRIC 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 3, 1951 vfi E n w: n u I I I I I l ll llllr I I I l I l I I I l I I l I l I l I l I l 'I- Q n II F I l l l l l l I I I i l l I \Q\ S i u W 1 E: E D: m2

ATTORN Y April 5, 1955 J- A. WAKEFIELD 2,705,600

MACHINE FOR WINDING WIRE FABRIC Filed Oct. 5, 1951 a Sheets-Sht :s

m VENT'OR Jo sa /4 A NTHON) WAKEF/EL 0 United States Patent MACHINE FOR WINDING WIRE FABRIC Joseph Anthony Wakefield, Wrotham, England, assignor to Durafencing Limited, London, England, a registered British company Application October 3, 1951, Serial No. 249,583

Claims. (Cl. 242-55) This invention has reference to a machine for manufacturing wire fabric or so called chain link fabric of quadrangular or square mesh and which is particularly, although not exclusively, used for fencing.

The invention concerns a machine of the kind in which a length of wire, or two lengths of wire fed from two sources are wound into zig-zag form on a flat forming bar or blade rotating in a stationary worming coil or so called giraffe and the wound wire is interlinked or interlaced with the last row of the chain link fabric being made. In this machine, provision is made to stop rotary motion of said forming bar after interlacing is effected and a single revolution shaft is then brought into operation and drives mechanism adapted to sever the interlaced wire from the coiled supply and also to knuckle or turn over the sharp barbed wire ends formed by the severing operation and which are located at the side edges of the fabric. The wire fabric is advanced in a step-bystep motion and the operations of coiling and interlacing and then severing and turning over of the barbs take place in automatically controlled cycles.

An object is to provide an improved mechanism for winding the wire fabric as it is made on a spindle in order to wind automatically a predetermined amount of fabric, the winding taking place within the precincts of the fabric making machine and thus avoiding, as in the past, the rolling of the fabric at back of the machine which made it necessary for an operator not only to supervise the making of the fabric at the front of the machine, but also to attend to the taking off of the fabric at the rear of the machine, which latter, owing to the projection of the winding spindle and fabric at the back of the machine, precluded the positioning of the machine close to a factory wall.

The machine according to the invention also incorporates special features relating to the worming coil, the knuckling mechanism and the winding mechanism, which features form the subject of my concurrent applications Serial Nos. 249,584 and 249,586.

A satisfactory embodiment of a machine, according to the invention, for winding such wire fabric is illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the general arrangement of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section, taken transversely of the machine and showing the wind-up mechanism for rolling up the wire fabric as it comes from the machine.

Fig. 4 is a section of Fig. 3 taken on the dotted line Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 3 taken on the dotted line Fig. 6 is a detail of the winding spindle.

The machine as a whole is designed to manufacture wire fabric or so called chain link fabric of square or quadrangular mesh. This fabric consists of interlaced or interlinked zig-zag wires (52, 53) and is of indeterminate length, whereas the width is determined by the manufacturer in relation to trade requirements; a common and satisfactory width of such fabric for use as field fencing is of approximately six feet.

The wire fabric making machine, which is comparatively long and narrow, has a frame 1 supported on pedestals 2 and comprises the following essential features:

A power transmission mechanism A having a driving shaft B; a weaving spindle C and a single revolution 2,705,600 Patented Apr. 5, 1955 shaft D, the weaving spindle C being; arranged at the front of the machine, the spindle C and the shaft D being adapted to be driven alternately by the mechanism A while the driving shaft B is rotating;

A control mechanism E co-operating with the mechanism A;

A fiat coiling blade F driven by the weaving spindle C;

A fixed, cylindrical worming coil G in which the blade F rotates;

A'bi-sectiona1 weaving tube H, co-axial with the blade F, adapted to be opened and closed from the operation of the single revolution shaft D;

A wire cutting mechanism I operated from the single revolution shaft D;

A knuckling mechanism J revolution shaft D;

A fabric winding mechanism K operated from the single revolution shaft D.

The winding mechanism K referred to above is arranged transversely of and under the machine for winding automatically the fabric on the winding spindle 54 arranged longitudinally under the machine. The mechanism is driven from the single revolution shaft D by a chain sprocket drive to a crank shaft 101 transmitting motion to a longitudinally slotted crank arm 102 fitted with a crank pin 103; the throw of the crank can be adjusted by mounting the crank pin 103 on a slide 104 and adjusting the slide 104 relatively to the crank arm 102 by means of a traversing screw and nut cooperation 105, 106. A spring loaded connecting rod 107 consistingof piston member 108, cylinder 109 and spring 110, is jolntedly connected at 111 to a bracket 112 fast with a sleeve 113.

The sleeve 113 has a right angled extension 114 on which a foot or shoe 115 is pivoted at 116, this foot or shoe 115 resting on the periphery 117 of the fabric rolled on the winding spindle 54 by this mechanism. The sleeve is splined as at 118a, on an oscillating arm 118 having its lower end connected to one element of a oneway friction clutch 120 arranged on a stub shaft 121 which is the axis of the winding spindle 54; an end of the shaft 121 is provided with a square socket 122 in which one end of the spindle 54 engages. The crank mechanism 102, 103 causes the arm 118 to oscillate about the shaft 121 and the clutch 120 is arranged to drive the shaft 121 and the spindle 54 in the direction of the arrow 123 (Fig. 3) and to idle in the other direction. The friction clutch 120 comprises a hollow, cylindrical element 124 fast with the arm 118 and mounted by a sleeve 125 on the shaft 121 in combination with an inner cylindrical element 126 splined on the shaft 121, this element 126 having several steps 127 in its periphery for accommodating rollers 128. The crank mechanism 102, 103 turns in an anti-clockwise direction as indicated by the arrow 129 (Fig. 3), and during its outward stroke the clutch operates and turns the shaft 121 together with the winding spindle 54 clockwise, thereby performing a fabric winding step. On the return stroke, of the said crank mechanism, the clutch 120 is ineffective so that the shoe 115 rides over the periphery of the fabric 117 without turning it. Thus, as the single revolution shaft D turns, the arm 118 completes automatically an oscillation, the first half of which restores the arm 118 from the position it was previously moved into in winding fabric on the spindle 54 so that it can again repeat the winding operation on the second half of the cycle.

The operation of automatically winding the fabric on the spindle 54 takes place on completion of the knuckling operation, the weaving tube H being automatically opened as winding is imminent and the hooks 56 being released and re-engaged with the mesh during and after completion of the winding operation.

As the diameter of the fabric progressively increases, a constant winding movement is transmitted to the winding spindle 54 so that the same amount of fabric is wound upon it, irrespective of fabric diameter. This is made possible by the upward sliding motion of the sleeve 113 on the arm 118 due to the foot or shoe 115 resting on the periphery 117 of the fabric and progressively lifting the sleeve 113. In this way, the pivot 111 is always operated from the single As the manufacturedfabric increases in diameter, the

sleeve 113 slides up the arm 118 and when the required diameter has been reached, the roll with the winding spindle 54 is removed from the machine, the roll being sleeved off the spindle 54 by removal of a clamping device 130 (Fig. 6) and withdrawal of a bar 131 previously clamping to the spindle 54 one or more of the initial turns of the fabric.

It will be seen, therefore, that the position the sleeve 113 occupies on the oscillating arm 118 is responsive to or controlled by the diameter of the fabric being rolled on the spindle so that the amplitude of oscillation will vary, in that with a small diameter of fabric the angular movement of the arm will be greater than when the diameter is large, although the same amount of fabric will be wound per oscillation.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for manufacturing fabric, an automatically operating mechanism for winding the fabric as it is manufactured into a roll, comprising a winding spindle arranged longitudinally under the machine, an arm mounted for oscillation about the axis of said spindle and coupled to said spindle by a unidirectional clutch for driving said spindle stepwise, a shaft adapted to be driven by said machine, a sleeve slidably mounted on said arm, a reciprocating mechanism driven by said shaft connected to said sleeve and adapted to transmit through said sleeve periodic oscillating motion to said arm, an extension on said sleeve, said extension being arranged above said spindle and a foot mounted on said extension and adapted to rest upon said roll.

2. Machine according to claim 1, in which said sleeve has a splined connection with said arm and in which said foot is pivotally connected to said extension.

3. Machine according to claim 1, in which said clutch comprises a hollow cylindrical element fast with said arm and being carried by a co-axial clutch sleeve, a stub shaft mounting said clutch sleeve, a clutch element splined on said stub shaft, steps on said clutch element and rollers lying in said steps and adapted to effect a drive to said shaft in a single direction in response to the oscillations of said arm. v

4. A machine'for winding fabric into a roll comp sing a winding spindle; an arm mounted for oscillation about the axis of said winding spindle and being adapted to drive said winding spindle stepwise in a single direction through a one way clutch; a sleeve slidably mounted on said arm for axial movement on said arm, a shoe mounted on said sleeve for pivotal movement about-"an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said arm, said shoe being adapted to engage and rest on the periphery of the roll of fabric as it is Wound on the spindle; and driving means connected to said sleeve for imparting oscillating motion to said arm.

5. A machine for winding a flexible material into a roll comprising a driving shaft; a winding spindle; an arm having a longitudinal axis mounted for oscillation about the axis of said spindle, means connecting said arm to said spindle to rotate said spindle progressively in a predetermined direction as said arm is oscillated; a member slidably mounted on said arm for movement parallel to said longitudinal axis, said member having an extension disposed above said spindle; a shoe on said extension for engaging the periphery of a roll being wound on said spindle; and means connecting said member to said driving shaft for imparting oscillatory movement to said arm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

